Happy Birthday

"Jiu De Mai, is there something you need?"

Luo Qiusheng's voice was cold and level, laced with an aloofness that brooked no intimacy. Gone was the relaxed ease of their previous encounters; even through the receiver, a faint sense of distance remained.

A brief two-second silence fell on the other end of the line, the sound of wind seemingly rushing past the microphone.

Jiu De Mai lifted her hand to move the phone slightly away, checking the name flickering on the screen again and again. Once she confirmed it was indeed Luo Qiusheng, she curled her lips in annoyance, her tone carrying a perfectly measured mix of coquettishness and complaint: "When we were on the beach, you were all 'Yiyi' this and 'Yiyi' that, so intimate and gentle. Now that you're turning your back on me and calling me by my full name, you really are a heartless, stinking man."

Luo Qiusheng's eyes were dark, his gaze locked firmly on the Mercedes-Benz disappearing ahead. Impatience and urgency gathered between his brows, and his tone remained devoid of ripples: "I don't have time to play games with you. Speak plainly—why are you looking for me?"

The cold, crisp tone instantly shattered the ambiguous atmosphere on the line, leaving only sharp, businesslike efficiency.

Jiu De Mai dropped her playful demeanor, her tone deepening as she said flatly: "The Boss told me to pass on a message: take good care of Lu Mingfei's emotional state."

The moment these words fell, Luo Qiusheng paused, a flash of astonishment crossing his eyes.

Take care of Lu Mingfei's feelings?

His fingertips unconsciously rubbed the edge of his phone, his heart churning with overwhelming confusion. He couldn't grasp the deeper meaning behind this at all.

Lu Mingze, that Little Devil entrenched in Lu Mingfei's mind, was obsessed with pushing Lu Mingfei toward ruin, fragmentation, and total corruption. He hungered for the dragon power hidden within the boy and wished to strip every shred of light and gentleness from him. Why would he suddenly ask him to look after Lu Mingfei with such care, even specifically cautioning him about boundaries?

This didn't fit Lu Mingze's usual style of operation at all.

Luo Qiusheng focused his attention on the receiver, once again analyzing the voice on the other end. It was crisp and languid—Jiu De Mai's natural, unmasked voice, without any vocal modulation. It was definitely not an impostor.

Layers of doubt piled up in his heart, swirling and growing heavier.

But the current situation allowed him no time for deep investigation. The shadow of the Mercedes-Benz ahead was drifting further away, about to turn the corner and vanish from his sight entirely.

Luo Qiusheng suppressed his sea of questions, stopped dwelling on the oddity of the call, and slammed his foot on the gas to speed up, tailing the Mercedes.

In the dim, quiet room, the screen's light flickered, casting a faint blue glow over the complex data lines on the desk.

Su Enxi tapped her keyboard, her eyes fixed on the screen full of crisscrossing red and green data. Without even lifting her head, she asked with casual curiosity: "Well? Did he understand?"

"How do you think it went?" Jiu De Mai lifted a hand to cover her cheek and sighed helplessly, her tone filled with a mix of frustration and amusement. "Our deep-thinking classmate Luo has scared our little baby Lu Mingfei away again."

"Do you think he misinterpreted the Boss's meaning?" Su Enxi's gaze remained glued to the jumping data lines, her brows slightly furrowed, her tone carrying a hint of subtle hesitation.

She always felt that the message Jiu De Mai had just relayed was too vague, hiding some other profound meaning. Yet, every time her thoughts touched the key point, it felt like quicksand slipping through her fingers—just a hair's breadth away from clarity, yet impossible to grasp. Countless fragmented thoughts jumped and tangled in her mind, forcing her to suppress her doubts for now and focus on reviewing the mission data at hand.

Just then, a crisp ringtone suddenly pierced the room's silence.

Su Enxi glanced down at the caller ID, her expression instantly turning serious as she answered softly: "Boss?"

The phone carried the voice of a young, cold boy—Lu Mingze's voice, devoid of any unnecessary emotion. His instructions were concise and absolute: "Jormungandr is about to manifest. Keep an eye on the situation, provide Lu Mingfei with necessary help at the right time, and maintain proper boundaries."

As soon as he finished speaking, the call was cut off, leaving only a busy signal echoing in the silence.

Jiu De Mai and Su Enxi exchanged a look, both seeing shock and sudden realization in each other's eyes. Without a word, the same name surfaced in both their minds simultaneously—Luo Qiusheng.

The scene from last night, where they stood side-by-side with Luo Qiusheng as they first triggered the Blood Rage secret art and faced the dragon's might, was still vivid in their memories. The scorching blood energy and the boy's calm, resolute profile felt as clear as if it were yesterday.

Even earlier than that, it was Luo Qiusheng who had calmly warned them: "Your little baby is going to have trouble again soon."

The doubt that had swirled in their hearts at that moment now transformed into genuine shock.

A thought, absurd yet undeniably real, rose in both their minds: Could it be... that Luo Qiusheng had predicted it again?

On the other side of the street, Luo Qiusheng, trailing the boy, tapped his screen and quickly sent a message.

Luo Qiusheng: [Lu Mingfei, StarCraft at the usual spot tonight. I'm covering the internet fees.]

Seconds after the message was sent, his phone vibrated gently.

The screen lit up, showing Lu Mingfei's instant reply, the words brimming with excitement and anticipation: [What are we waiting for! I'll be there on time!]

Lu Mingfei clutched his phone, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, a spark of eagerness flashing in his eyes. But in an instant, the notification for the SS-level top-secret mission and the high-risk warning issued by the academy flashed through his mind. His smile faded instantly, replaced by a sense of unease and hesitation.

Since enrolling, he had never performed a mission, let alone an SS-level high-risk one.

Just hearing the term "SS-level," just hearing the seniors mention it, was enough to make one's blood run cold. He had no confidence at all; he felt both the tension of taking on an ultra-high-difficulty mission for the first time and a hidden, irrepressible curiosity.

Chu Zihang, driving the black sedan ahead, caught the shift in Lu Mingfei's expression through the rearview mirror.

The boy's face had shed its usual cowardice and dullness, replaced by a vibrant, worldly vitality, along with the recklessness and anticipation of a newborn calf.

Chu Zihang's gaze darkened, a sense of emotion quietly rising in his heart. Without realizing it, he could no longer see through Lu Mingfei at all.

It seemed that ever since Luo Qiusheng appeared by Lu Mingfei's side, this boy, who had always been insecure and cowardly, living in the shadows of the crowd, had changed bit by bit. He was no longer the ordinary high school student who would only retreat and hide when faced with trouble; there was light in his eyes now, and thoughts that others couldn't fathom.

"Eva said you attended a class reunion last night."

Chu Zihang spoke suddenly, his cold, calm voice breaking the silence in the car. His tone was flat, devoid of inquiry or interrogation—it was merely a statement.

Lu Mingfei stiffened, a familiar sense of being under total surveillance rising in his heart.

He was no stranger to this feeling of having nowhere to hide.

The last time, it was at the Shilan High School graduation party, when Nono had peered into his life through Eva. This time, it was the usually steady and reliable Chu Zihang.

His fingertips tightened slightly, and he felt at a loss for a moment.

Noticing Lu Mingfei's rigidity, Chu Zihang explained calmly: "I didn't know your whereabouts, so I asked Eva."

The calm and gentle explanation only made Lu Mingfei feel more awkward, leaving him completely at a loss for how to respond.

He ranted frantically in his heart; he couldn't very well put on the airs of an executive agent to Chu Zihang, a senior who had always taken care of and tolerated him, telling him that he held the mission authorization and was there to command his senior's actions, all while he secretly snuck off to an internet cafe to play games, could he?

Lu Mingfei gritted his teeth and pulled out his phone again, his finger hovering over the screen, torn and struggling repeatedly.

Just as he finally made up his mind and prepared to reply to Luo Qiusheng to finalize their internet cafe date for tonight, Chu Zihang's gentle and clear voice drifted into his ears, instantly shattering all his distracting thoughts.

"Happy birthday, Lu Mingfei."

Those five simple words landed lightly against his ear, yet they were so heavy that Lu Mingfei was suddenly stunned into silence.

A series of question marks crowded his mind, and his entire being completely crashed, leaving him dazed in his seat.

In all the years he had grown up, no one had ever specifically remembered his birthday, let alone said "happy birthday" to him in person. Eva's automated messages didn't count; Chu Zihang was the first person to ever celebrate his birthday.

A mixture of bitterness and warmth surged in his heart, churning into a scalding tide.

All thoughts of playing around vanished in an instant, and his sense of responsibility completely overwhelmed his selfish desires.

Lu Mingfei no longer hesitated; he quickly deleted the original text and edited a new message to send out.

Lu Mingfei: [I'm not going to play games tonight, I'm going to carry out the mission seriously!]

On the suburban highway, the red Ferrari 458 Italia sped along steadily, the wind pouring through the gap in the window and fluttering the hem of Luo Qiusheng's clothes.

He glanced sideways at the glowing phone screen in the passenger seat. After seeing Lu Mingfei's reply, a faint, knowing smile slowly curled the corners of his cold lips.

With a light tap of his fingertip, he flipped the phone face down on the seat.

Luo Qiusheng kept his eyes on the road ahead, a flash of deep meaning crossing his gaze as he whispered to himself.

Lu Mingfei, oh Lu Mingfei, you really are still that sensitive, pathetic kid.